Murkowski debated her to challengers in alaskas 2022 senate race. They discuss vious issues, including abortion and election integrity. This is alaskas first time using a ranked Choice Voting system, which was approved by voters in 20 the nonpartisan cook report rates the race solid republican. Alaska public media, alaskas news source, and ktoo present debate for the state. The u. S. Senate race, moderated by Lori Townsend and mike ross. Good evening. Thank you for joining us for our final debate for the state event. Were coming to you live from alaska public media. Im Lori Townsend. And good evening, everyone. Im mike ross. Tonight, were going to pose a series of questions to the candidates on this years ballot for one of the alaska seats in the u. S. Senate. Now, because of the states new voting system, alaskans will rank up to four candidates at the polls this year. Republicans Lisa Murkowski and kelly tshibaka, and democrat pat chesbro. The fourth candidate on the ballot, buzz kelly, has suspended his campaign and will not be taking part in tonights debate. Weve also gathered questions from alaskans around the state and from the anchorage youth vote. Well also be monitoring social media tonight for other questions to pose to the candidates. The candidates will have the opportunity to ask questions of each other during the debate tonight. All the questions and answers will be timed. Lets begin. President biden said, if democrats keep control of congress, the first bill he will send would enshrine abortion rights nationwide. Would you support or oppose a measure like that . Each candidate will have 1 minute to respond. And well start with you, senator murkowski. I do support codification of roe v. Wade. I recognize that we cannot go backwards in time 50 years, when it comes to a womans right to determine her own Reproductive Health and health care. I also recognize that abortion should not be without limitation. And so, the bipartisan effort that i have introduced in the United States senate is one that, again, codifies roe, but does so in ensuring that there are limitations. There is a conscience provision for providers who are not willing to perform abortions. Its also important to recognize that hide protection still remain in place. Still remains in place. So there has been, before the Senate Previously this year, an effort to codify roe that was so expensive, that was so overthetop, it was rejected on a Straight Party line basis. 1 minute, please. Im prolife, and the Supreme Court was dobbs has returned the choice about abortion back to the states. Im not sure that any effort in congress would actually be upheld by the Supreme Court. However, theres a bill that has been introduced that would set a nationwide cap somewhere in the second trimester, when a fetus could feel pain. I would support a bill like that. I think that brings us in line with many of the European Countries limits. The incumbent has voted in 2018 and 2020 to allow abortions to continue all the way up to when a baby is being born. I think thats too extreme. I also think that we need to make Birth Control more accessible. We should allow there to be release of prescriptions so that women could get it without a prescription, over the counter and through the mail. In a postop environment, i think that this would be wonderful, especially in many of our alaska native Rural Communities where they dont have the post office open all the time. But again, i think that most of these decisions are going to be left to the state at this point. Thank you. Ms. Chesbro, you have 1 minute. After the roe v. Wade decision came down, i spoke to several people who had either decided to have or to not have abortions. Every reason was different. Every reason was their own. One that stuck with me was a situation where a person had chosen to not have an abortion, despite the fact that her doctor said she should because she had cancer. This person, whose mother died after she gave birth to him, said, how do you think i would feel if it was the government who told me that my mother had to die in order for me to live . I think thats part of the issue here. I really am prochoice. I think it needs to be up to the discretion of the individual, not anyone else. I think it has to be a very difficult decision, and i think we need to let people make those decisions on their own. Thank you. Our next question. Faith in our election system is essential for the future of our democracy. What needs to happen to ensure that voters trust our electoral system . Candidates, youll have 1 minute for your answers. Ms. Tshibaka, youre first. I had the honor of being able to audit our division of elections in 2019 before the nation saw what we saw in 2020. Its clear that we can identify best practices and vulnerable abilities in election systems. And i truly support state based systems based on rooted based in rooted transparency and accountability where we know that we have one alaskan that can vote and that that vote is counted. I dont support federalization of our election systems where we let washington, d. C. Tell us in alaska what to do and how to do it. However, there are some things that we could get support from from the federal government, like funding for signature verification authority, where we can get machines that tell us that the signatures match, rather than having people at the division of elections carry that burden. That would give us more confidence that the Election Results are coming out the way that the voters intended, instead of resulting in discrepancies in the system. Thank you. Ms. Chesbro, you have 1 minute. I voted yesterday, and i continue to be impressed with the people who are at the voting polls, and their efficiency and their willingness to help anyone who is trying to vote. I am wary of the things we hear around the country, of people that are intimidating people. The system cannot be safe, if everyone does not have access to it. And we all are responsible for making sure that people are not intimidated, when they go to vote, that the voting systems are correct. I live in matsu, and now theyve just decided its going to be safer to hand count things than to use machines. I think that is kind of going off the rails here. We really need to have our elected officials have confidence in the election and we need to check. We have ways to check, but i have faith, and i think we need to make sure that people have faith in the system. Senator murkowski, 1 minute. Elections must be really a cornerstone of what we believe in. We cannot govern without the consent of the governed. Correct . So everything that we can do to make sure that our Electoral Systems are fair, transparent, free, and accessible, anything that would work to prohibit that, i think causes into question the fairness of your elections. I have been the only republican that has, over the years, came forward and said the Voting Rights act, the john lewis Voting Rights act has been that template that has urged us in the right direction to make sure that our election laws are fair to all, that we do not discriminate against our native people through literacy exams. Ive also been engaged with a rework of the electoral count act, a bipartisan effort to ensure that not only are elections free and fair, but that when we count senator, your time. When we count, it is fair. Thank you. Former President Donald Trump has been subpoenaed to appear before the House Committee investigating the january 6 attack at the u. S. Capitol. Do you think he should testify, and do you think he may have committed crimes related to the attempt at halting the certification of the election . Youll have 45 seconds to answer this question. And, ms. Chesbro, youll go first. I think he should testify. I think the way to establish your innocence or answer questions is to testify in front of the group. I have no idea whether he broke the law, because im not the person that decides those kinds of things. But i think the human the american citizens need to hear what he has to say about that day that was so scary for so many people, including me, because i was watching it, and i could not believe that it was happening. So, yes, he should testify. And whether hes guilty of a crime, thats up to someone else to decide. Senator murkowski, 45 seconds. When a subpoena issues to a former president , it is not done lightly. I think this needs to be taken seriously. I think that he should accept and testify under subpoena. I doubt that he will. As to whether or not he was engaged in crimes that were committed, i think this is what the process will determine, as it moves forward. I do think, however, that this is something that is left unfinished in the minds of so many in this country, in terms of the former president s role. Thank you, ms. Tshibaka. The legality of the subpoena is being adjudicated in the court system now, and thats the proper place for it to be determined. The people who engaged in illegal activity that day were the ones who entered the capital the capitol and broke the laws, and they should be held accountable. Ive knocked on thousands of doors across alaska. So with all that being said, this question hasnt come up once, when i talk to alaskans. Alaskans are focused on the issues affecting them right now in their homes and in their wallets, and the issues affecting them in the future. And those are things like inflation, public safety, the erosion of our Constitutional Rights, education. Those are the issues i think we need to start focusing on, as United States senate, so that we can help the people of alaska. All right. Our next question, the remnants of typhoon murbach devastated coastal communities in western alaska several weeks ago. What can congress do to help the state prepare for the impacts of the changing climate . Youll have 45 seconds to respond. Senator murkowski. First, i wish that there was one quick, easy answer. I was out there less than a week after typhoon murbach devastated that coastline. And the devastation in terms of damage to the land, the erosion, but also to personal property, it breaks your heart. The question is, is what can we do . There are efforts that are underway not only through the infrastructure bill that we have advanced, but the energy act of 2020 that i had put into law. We do focus on what we call climate resilience. It is really hard to protect a coastline like we have in alaska, but i can tell you that the people want that barrier protection. Thank you. Ms. Tshibaka, you have 45 seconds. Typhoon mirabak is obviously devastating and we are at risk for having more of this kind of damage. I dont think we take an either or approach, though, to those of us who want clean air, clean water, and clean land. And we also understand that we need traditional resources in order to develop renewable resources. Unfortunately, this is the approach of the Biden Administration. There are radical environmental nominees that have been confirmed by our incumbent that have shut down our industries here in alaska. And its not a healthy approach for us. We can take an all of the above solution so that we can invest in Renewable Energy, Energy Innovation for cleaner and more efficient, traditional, reasonable, and responsible uses of our development, of energy up here in alaska, so that we can take an all of the above approach as we move forward in Renewable Energy and Clean Energy Development in alaska. Innovation is important. Ms. Chesbro. 45 seconds. Obviously, we need to look at the housing of the people that have been affected by this, and not just their housing, im sure other places along the coast. I think we have the capacity to develop ways of building housing in rural alaska that are more resilient, warmer, Better Energy efficient. I think the other thing we have to remember is the first thing is we have to help people when theyre destroyed like this. We have to get to them fast. We have to make sure they have enough food, because food stores were destroyed. We have to help people, and we have to move fast to do that. Thank you. As sea ice retreats, more vessels are transiting the arctic. What should the federal government do now to prevent an ecological or security disaster in the region, if one of these ships runs aground . You have 45 seconds for this answer. And ms. Tshibaka, youll start us off. We know that there are changing conditions in the arctic. The arctic is opening up. We also have increasing tensions in the arctic, and the arctic also will be a place for increased commerce. So this is something that we need to get on top of. As congress, i think that were a couple of decades behind in building out our infrastructure up here, our ports, our roads, and our railroads, also developing out National Security infrastructure to protect us for readiness and defense. Ive spent over a decade in the National Security community, i have the relationships and the knowledge and the experience to be able to advance us in this area, and very quickly, because we can see that russia and china have objectives counter to our own here in the arctic. Being the only arctic state, this is imperative for us, as is the health and viability of our arctic coastline communities out in rural alaska. We really need to prioritize their health, their housing, and their jobs, as well. Ms. Chesbro, 45 seconds for this question. The coast guard in 2015 developed a plan for their arctic strategy. At this point in time, they are the first line of defense for us to help with all of those things. And we need to make sure that they are funded, that they continue to work with others to make this work, that they are that they have not only the operational staff, but the support staff and the support areas in the state that will help them to thrive and make sure that we can depend on them as we have for 100 years. The coast guard. Thank you. Senator murkowski. You have 45 seconds. We need the assets. We dont need just to talk about them. We need the assets. And thats exactly what i have been driving towards, known as the arctic senator. Well, i dont want to just have that title. I want to demonstrate what weve done. So its everything from getting funding for the first deepwater port north of alaska, which is known, what we have done to plus up the resources for the u. S. Coast guard. Three icebreakers coming online, with more to come, other ice hardened vessels to help out with search and rescue. What we need to be doing to ensure that our National Guard here is at the ready. If you need search and rescue, if its an effort with regards to National Security, our National Guard is there. All right, thank you, candidates. Well, now were going to give the candidates a chance to ask one of their opponents a question. The format for this will be a 30 second question, a 1 minute answer, followed by a 32nd period of rebuttal. Then the remaining candidate will have 30 seconds to weigh in on the topic as well. We drew names before we got started. Senator murkowski, youre first. Ask a question of one of your opponents. Thank you. Kelly, you have repeatedly called the bipartisan infrastructure bill the green new deal. Youve claimed that its given alaska only bread crumbs. Now, i realize that youve been gone from the state for about 28 years, but you have had, you told us that youve had a chance to travel around the state and to see firsthand the needs of alaskan communities, and really, the benefits of the bill. Weve seen about 2. 7 billion to alaska already, so how can you deny the benefits of that infrastructure bill to alaska . You have 1 minute to respond. The infrastructure bill is called by the wall street journal a bait and switch, and senator sullivan has actually confirmed this. He took to the floor of the senate in june and in august, saying that the 25 that was set aside for actual infrastructure has now been buried by bidens bureaucrats under regulations designed to kill all infrastructure. We got stuck with all of the inflation from the infrastructure bill that you wrote, but the appropriations that have been made available are hiding in the executive branch behind bidens bureaucrats, not actually accessible. So he then sponsored legislation to try and get rid of this regulatory framework. You cosponsored the legislation, essentially admitting that there are significant flaws in the infrastructure bill and our ability to get access to this infrastructure. Infrastructure is critical in alaska, and one of the chief things weve got to pick up in this next session is clearing away these regulatory hurdles of the Biden Administration through the nominees that you confirmed that have set up to block our access to infrastructure, because youre absolutely right. We cant wait any longer for these Critical Infrastructure developments. 30 seconds. Im glad to hear that you do support and you recognize that we need this infrastructure. It is something that the entire alaska delegation supported with this infrastructure bill. It is funding that is coming out to the communities literally as we speak. Today, tcc up in the interior received 30 million for reconnect. Mayor seward has gotten their funding for the lowell creek flood Diversion Program up in vessel. Theyve received their funding for broadband here in the port of anchorage. 68 million. Thank you. 30 seconds if you would like to weigh in. Obviously, the infrastructure bill is important. Infrastructure has been promised by the former two president s, and finally, this one got it through with a bipartisan approach. I think its obvious that we need it. We are a young state. We still need help with our infrastructure. We have lots of things in the state that need help, and i am supportive of it. And i thank senator murkowski